Growing Up
by needsmoreicing
Summary: Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love is a growing up. -James A. Baldwin
1. The Beginning (2003)

**A/N:** Hey everyone! I know I haven't updated anything in awhile, but I have several new stories coming soon! I've had a request fic that I'm editing and will be publishing soon and I also have the rest of _Breathe. _But I really couldn't hold out on this fic any longer!

My characterizations are very different in this story and I'm so pleased with the end result! I'll be updating this once a week for about 10 weeks.

This was originally supposed to be a oneshot for Logan, but I just kept going!

So Logan, here is your "oneshot"

* * *

_We're all a little weird, and life's a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in a mutual weirdness and call it love._

_Dr. Suess_

* * *

**(2003)**

Nine year old Ella Pador knew that her glasses weren't cool, triceratops were a boy thing, and if you weren't a singer you weren't anything. But she wasn't looking to be something, she was looking for _fun_. Her life was so routine during the year and summer was the only time that was truly a time to just live with out critical eyes. Her family always had something to say about how her life was lived and the paparazzi was always trying to make a quick buck with her photo. People always wondered if living with her father was really the best option, because it left little interaction with kids in her age group. Many people worried that instead of raising her, Ella was raising her father. They weren't wrong, her father did have his moments but Ella never knew that it was any different for other kids. But that all seemed to vanish during those magical two months, like the world finally had something better to do than criticize her life and father.

A lot of kids considered her odd, because who had thirty year old men for best friends? But Ella didn't mind. The members of Headline were funny and always had a little bit of time to spare for her, and if it wasn't a band member it was a roadie. Tito would always show her how to set the stage up properly and Krissy would let her play with a few sparklers while she worked with the pyrotechnic team. Touring was always her favorite part of the package, but her mother's family had raised a fuss by saying that it wasn't normal. When had her life ever been normal? It was this idea that caused her to be a little outspoken for her age.

So, upon skipping into the Soul cabin, she knew she'd be a little out of place. She ran her tongue nervously over where her left canine used to be and threw her bag on to her labeled bunk. She took in a deep breath, basking in the smell of the woods and the slight tang that came from the lake. This would be the first time she'd been apart from her father for more than a few days, and while it was going to be rough, she was ready for a new experience. Ella heard a sniffle behind her and turned to face her father.

To most, Van Pador was intimidating. Standing at six foot five, both of his arms were covered in tattoos, and add in unruly facial hair and Ella supposed she could understand why. But to her, he dueled dragons, checked for the boogieman, and still read her _Good Night, Moon_ even if she knew she was to old for such treatment.

"Now Ella," he sniffled and rubbed the back of his arm under his nose, "if you ever feel like you don't want to be here any more, you just call me out on tour, okay?" Van knelt down to Ella's height and she raced into his arms. "I'm gonna miss you more than anything, baby girl." Ella grinned and tucked her head into his shoulder as he squeezed her tight.

"I'mma miss you too, daddy." Van wondered how long this would last and knew that this tour would feel longer than all the others. But he couldn't leave her with a sad good bye.

She let out a peal of giggles as he stood to his full height, taking her with him, and looking around.

"Ella? Ella? Where'd you go?" He turned his head in every direction in mock search of his daughter.

"Daddy! I'm right here!" She giggled and leaned back, kissing his cheek sloppily. Tears sat on the brim of Van's large dark eyes, but he threw his head back and gave a deep rumbling laugh.

"Of course, how silly of me." He set her back down and kissed her head softly, his scruff tickling her forehead.

"I love you, my little princess." She flushed with pleasure at the nick-name and threw her little arms around his legs. "I love you too, Papa Bear."

When Ella released his legs, they set up her bunk with the crowning jewel of her blue triceratops plush. It wasn't until she'd finished that another girl rushed into the cabin excitedly, buzzing around with long curly brown hair flapping after her. She spoke quickly to her parents, who seemed to be from a different time. Ella had a quick flash of mother envy as she eyed the new girl get settled down by her mother, Van squeezed her shoulder lightly before striking up a conversation with the new father.

"Caitlyn Raine Gellar, promise me that you're going to behave." Mother Gellar swept her own long blonde hair over her shoulders as she crouched to face her daughter. Caitlyn rolled her eyes, but grinned madly as her mother tousled her hair. Ella wondered what that would feel like, to have a woman tousle your hair. Her father mused her hair all the time, but Mrs. Gellar's hand were much smaller than her fathers. Ella shrank next to her bed, just observing their interactions, letting herself be envious if just for a moment.

"Okay Starla, I can do that." Caitlyn called her mother by her first name, and that surprised Ella. In her mind, she'd always called her mother "mama" or "mommy", but Starla smiled fondly while caressing her daughter's cheek. When she grinned, Ella noticed that Caitlyn was missing one of her front teeth and a canine, and she suddenly felt like friendship was just a little around the corner instead of completely unreachable. Dashing over to where he stood Ella tugged on her father's fingers and gestured for him to come down to her level. Cupping her hand around his ear she shared her fears.

"Daddy, do you think she'll be friends with me?" Van looked at her and brushed a large hand over her cheek.

"Of course." And with his blessing, Ella broke out into a run to introduce herself. When he straightened back up Tobias Gellar clapped him on the shoulder.

"It's hard to seem 'em grow up, isn't?" He gave a knowing grin as Van looked at their daughters chatting happily. Van gave Tobias his own smirk as his Ella dragged Caitlyn over to them.

"_Whoa_, that's your dad?" Caitlyn stared at him unabashedly and jaw hanging wide open and Ella nodded with pride, planting her little fists solidly on her hips. "He looks _so cool_." Caitlyn gave a smirk at her own father and crossed her arms. "All Tobias does is build homes out of recycled things."

"What?" Ella's head tilted in confusion and Caitlyn thought about how to better explain his occupation.

"Like my room used to be an old van, my door slides open instead of swinging and so does my closet, but it's built into our house so it doesn't look like a car from the outside." Ella's eyes went wide and glittered with joy as she jumped up and down excitedly. "That's amazing!"

Caitlyn gave a happy grin and loosened up a little bit, sticking her tongue out at her father before replying "Yeah, it's pretty cool."

* * *

"So what do you want to be when you grow up?" Brown asked with an enthusiastic grin as he sat in their music reading class. It was a pretty generic question with the same generic answers; Singer, dancer, actress or some type of performer. Ella leaned back against the wall as other kids shouted out their answers. Some of them had the natural talent to actually make it, but most were bunch of hot air. She knew that out of everyone in the room she, Tess Tyler, and Brown's own nephews probably had the best chance of making it in the music industry solely because of who they knew. Slowly, the question made it to her end of the circle. From beside her, Caitlyn gave the confident answer of a music producer. When it was her turn, Ella sucked on the spot where her tooth used to be as she thought about her answer.

"I think that maybe I'll be an otorhinolaryngologist." She said the word slowly and articulately, making sure to enunciate the word just like her father had taught her. The entire room went silent and Brown's smile wavered for a split second. "It's an ear, nose and throat doctor. I don't want to sing forever, I want to keep voices healthy." Ella twirled the ends of her hair around her finger and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose nervously.

"That's a real thing?" The middle of the Gray brothers asked, his face displaying his obvious confusion. "Yeah, my dad has one." The room continued to stare at Ella for a brief moment until Brown clapped his hands together and redirected their attention.

* * *

She didn't know it, but at that moment she'd caused a curly haired boy to fall in love with her. Nate Gray had never met anyone else who had a vocabulary as extensive as his, even his own family was astonished by his word choice and verbiage. So, Ella was a breath of fresh air. But also female, a life form he'd never really interacted with. Consequently, Nate made a habit of ducking behind trees when he saw her and watched as she went a head of him. He'd sit close to her, but not _too _close. Ella was really something special. She only showed interest in things that she liked and didn't make much time to pay attention to anything else. She liked to doodle on paper and sketch, skip rocks on the lake and relocate the snails so they wouldn't get stepped on. To Nate, it felt like no one else in the world knew these little things about Ella but him. So when the angry blonde girl started picking on Ella, Nate felt strangely protective of her.

"What? Can't see Pador?" Nate felt anger bubble up in his throat and a squeak escaped his lips as Tess threw the plush and kicked Ella's glasses just out of her reach, drawing the attention of his brothers. Shane followed his gaze and ran over to Ella, helping her fend off Tess. Jason fetched her glasses and plush, but Nate stayed planted on the bench. Jealousy trickled in as Ella hugged Jason and Shane, wiping the tears off her face and holding the plush closely, she didn't even know he was there.

Jason put a hand on her shoulder and jerked his head in Nate's direction and Ella waved shyly as she slid her glasses back on and squeezed her plush to her chest. Nate gave a little grin and waved back, forgetting about his missing two front teeth. Ella let out a giggle and showed her own missing tooth and followed Shane to the nurse's cabin. A melody started playing in his head and Nate gave one last lingering glance before going back to work and writing it down, in his mind he knew that this song had to be perfect.


	2. Switching Sides (2004)

**(2004)**

Nate stood behind the building with his brothers while Brown talked to _Van Pador_ . Jason's mouth kept opening and closing, taking in sharp breaths of air before his head ducked behind the corner again and hugging his guitar to his chest.

"I can't do it guys, I can't." Jason looked close to hyperventilating and was visibly shaking.

"Dude, you totally can." Shane whispered, not being able to take his eyes away from his idol.

"Yeah right! You haven't gotten any closer than I have!" Jason countered, his voice squeaking slightly. Nate remained silent, mustering up all the courage his ten-year old body could manage and ran in the direction of his uncle before he could change his mind. Stumbling over his growing feet, Nate managed to catch himself before he landed on his guitar, not once, but twice. Brown let out a chuckle as his youngest nephew held his guitar out to Van with trembling hands.

"Hey there kid, how ya doin'?" Van gave an easy grin as he took the guitar from the young boy's hands. The kid barely managed to squeak out a short "fine." before he went back to shaking nervously. "This is a nice guitar you have here. A Bach Strat Classic if I'm not mistaken. Do you like classical guitar?" Nate nodded his head but paused, unsure of himself, and shrugged.

"Nate's always wanting to learn something, so I started him out on classical guitar." Brown supplied, resting a hand on Nate's shoulder. "The same way I started Jason."

Van nodded his head and whipped a Sharpie out of his back pocket, yanking the cap off with his teeth.

"Yeah, Hemily was talking about that yesterday. He finally watched that video you sent us, the kid is good." Nate's throat caught up, _Ross Hemily_ knew about Jason? The lead guitarist of Headline thought Jason was good?

Strangely enough, it didn't quite satisfy him.

"Jason's better than just good." He mumbled, kicking the ground nervously. The pen marks stopped for a moment while Van paused. Van eyed Nate for a second, before going back to signing the guitar.

"You're right kid, he is better than good. He's a little rough around the edges, but the talent is there." Van recapped the pen and handed the guitar back to Nate.

"I bet he taught you everything he knows, how to tune and different ways to strum, even before your Uncle Brown got his mits on ya." Brown gave a good natured grin ruffling Nate's hair and Van crouched to Nate's height. "Your brother means everything to you."

"Brothers." Nate corrected in a whisper, but nodded his head.

"I'd sure like to meet them." Nate looked over his shoulder, back to his brother's hiding spot and saw Jason shove Shane forward and both of them slowly making their way over to the

group.

Brown out right laughed as Shane stumbled to a stop in front of them, only being caught by the collar of his shirt and Jason's hand. "Looks like the chicken's came out for a peck, eh Van?" Van just gave an easy smile before taking Shane's tambourine.

"Percussionist, huh?" Shane shook his head violently.

"Singing, the tambourine is the only thing I had." He admitted with a shrug. Van held the cap between his teeth again and scribbled out his signature. "I used a tambourine when I was

first starting out, then again, I came from a different time than now. Who knows? Maybe you could make them cool again." Handing the instrument back to Shane, Van finally turned to the eldest Gray son.

"And you must be Jason." Brown thought that Jason was going to die on the spot or snap the neck of his guitar from the way he was gripping it so tightly. Jason let out a strangled noise before practically tossing the guitar into Van's massive hands. "You know, your uncle sent me a video of you preforming at your guitar recital." Van watched Jason's mouth flounder for a second before locking a glare on his uncle. "You were really good. Hemily thought you were great too." Jason beamed with pleasure and Van went back to scribbling his name out. "Did you name your guitar?" Jason's grin dimmed slightly and he shook his head no. "Well, what do you like, kid?"

Jason thought about it for a minute.

"I like birds, they make music too." Van admired his simplistic reasoning, and nodded his head.

"Okay, well how about you name this one Songbird?" He handed the Spanish wood guitar back to the young teen and stood back to his full height, his knees popping from being crouched so long. He winced slightly before giving a grin at the three brothers. "Who knows, maybe you'll be an album selling band." It wasn't a question in his eyes, more of a declaration and he watched as the boys grinned at each other, clearly pleased with his announcement.

"Daddy?" Ella questioned, her voice tinged with confusion and he could detect a slight bit of hurt in her eyes. Van slid the cap back on to his Sharpie and smiled at her, trying to dispel her worry.

"Hey Princess, have you met the Gray brothers?" Van noticed that Nate squirmed uncomfortably a blush coating his neck and Van tried to squash down his instincts to slap him upside the head. The other two boys dash to her, showing her their autographed instruments and asking her questions about Headline and why she hadn't told them that _Van Pador_ was her father. He frowned, noticing her hands clinching into little fists, but didn't say a word.

Nate glanced back from the men to where Ella and his brothers were standing. He gave a heaving sigh before trudging to their circle.

Van gave his own great sigh before turning to his friend.

"You do you think that they'll let it go?" He asked, watching his daughter hang her head. Brown frowned watching the little group head towards their cabins.

"I don't know mate, I don't know."

* * *

"So what's it like, being a rockstar's daughter?" Shane asked, chomping down on his sandwich at lunch. Ella flushed in anger and Caitlyn's leg bounced nervously, the brother's being completely oblivious to their discomfort on the situation.

"It's not much different than being a normal kid, I guess." Ella shrugged, pushing her chips around with her finger dejectedly, hoping that they'd drop the fascination with her father soon. She didn't mind that the guys were fans, she just wished that they wouldn't ask her about it every day like they had been for the past week. _Where had she been? Who had she met? Did they ever let her sit in on their jam sessions? _It was like her life at camp had been flipped upside down, but she tried not to show it too much.

"Psh, whatever. I bet it's awesome." Jason grinned widely while Nate bobbed his head in agreement. Caitlyn shot them a glare from her spot at the table, trying to Jedi Mind Trick them into shutting their big mouths. Ella's reaction was a little less obvious and a little more violent. She took a chip in her hands and crushed it, pretending for a moment that it was her friend's heads, then let the crumbs fall back to her plate.

"Guys, just let it go, okay?" Caitlyn asked, deciding that maybe Jedi powers came with time, and taking her bite out of her pickle.

"Why? If it's not bothering Ella, why should it bother you?" Shane countered, scowling at the brunet and Caitlyn leaned forward prepping herself for the verbal banter. Ella huffed as they argued, leaving the table to throw away her trash and then head out to the lake. Nate went to call after her but stopped himself, they hadn't done anything wrong. What was so bad about asking questions about her dad?

Caitlyn stopped short in her argument with Shane, watching the Mess Hall door swing close she felt a trace of shame run into her blood stream.

"It _does_ bother her, Shane." Caitlyn spat, abandoning her plate to go after her friend.

* * *

At twig snapped from behind Ella and Caitlyn, causing their hearts to leap in their throat as they turned quickly to face their new found company. Ella lifted her glasses and wiped her eyes as she braced herself for the torment.

"What do you want Tess?" She grimaced at the sight of the blonde.

"I know what it's like," Tess spoke evenly as she approached the two girls. "To have someone use you for your parents." Ella's jaw stiffened but her lips quivered.

"What are you talking about?" Caitlyn glanced from Ella to Tess, remaining silent and trying to ignore the growing pit in her stomach.

"It always starts off with the autograph, doesn't it? Then they start asking you about your parents, then they start asking for free stuff and concert tickets." Ella's eyes started to water again, she knew Tess was right. "I'm just saying that I understand."

Tess walked until she stood in front of them, "We understand each other, we could be friends." Ella looked from Tess to Caitlyn, placing a tiny hand on Caitlyn's shoulder. "_We _could be friends?" She wasn't going anywhere without Caitlyn. Tess eyed Caitlyn over for a minute and nodded her consent.

"Yeah, we could all be friends."

* * *

Nate looked at his sheet music from the previous summer, desperately willing something to come and inspire him. But nothing would stick.

No music, no words, not even a tiny bit of rhythm would appear on to the paper.

He blamed it solely on Ella.

Why did she keep avoiding him and hanging out with Tess? She'd been acting differently ever since she'd left that day from lunch. Guilt ate at his stomach as he dully scratched his pencil on the paper. It was alluding him, just like Ella was. At that moment, he could write any song but the one that inspired him most. Nate had tried to at least be _around_ Ella, but found that it was like walking on broken glass.

Nate paused for a moment, reaching for a new piece of sheet music.

_It's like I'm walking on broken glass  
Better believe I bled._

It wasn't the song that he wanted to write, but he found that he couldn't stop. Fueled by Ella's sudden resentment of him and his brothers, what else was a ten year old to do?


	3. The Rejection (2005)

(2005)

Ella hated the sinking feeling in her chest as she unloaded her bag on to her new bunk. Gone were the good old days of sleeping in the Soul cabin, now she found herself in the newly refurbished Pop cabin.

"Is everything okay Princess?" Van asked, a large crease in his forehead and resting a hand on her shoulder. Ella smiled sadly and shook her head, no.

"No daddy, it's not. I've done something awful." She admitted, scuffing the wood floor with her converse. Van smoothed Ella's hair down and kissed the top of her head gently.

"It can't be that bad." Van gave her a comforting smile and pulled her in for a hug. "What's wrong?" Ella wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tight.

"I've made a bad friend, but now I can't do anything about it." She confessed in shame. Van sighed and held his daughter close.

"Sweet-heart, it's never to late to fix things." He stood and squeezed her hand. "Now where are we going to put Topsy?" Van asked, trying to lighten her mood. What he wasn't expecting was for Ella to hand him the little blue plush triceratops.

"Back in the car. I- I don't need him anymore." Ella finished, her bottom lip trembling. She was clearly conflicted about handing him the toy and he was about to ask why, when TJ Tyler swept into the room with her daughter not far behind.

Everything suddenly made sense. Ella's insistence at packing nicer clothes for camp, getting contacts, switching cabins, and now refusing to keep her triceratops. If Van hadn't liked TJ before, he despised her now. Van nodded his head, squeezing the little figurine in his hands.

"Okay, Ella, okay." He tried to ignore the tears in her eyes as he walked out of the door with a sad wave, she had to figure out how to fix things by herself. His footsteps felt heavy as he went to say his goodbyes to Brown. The normally chipper rock legend looked grossly out of place in Brown's office, easily dwarfing the chair that he sat in. Brown tried to make sense of everything while he watched his friend turn a pale blue dinosaur plush over in his hands. Leaning back on the desk and crossing his ankles, Brown asked what exactly was troubling his friend.

Van gave a heavy sigh, and for the first time in their friendship, it seemed like age had caught up to him. "It's Ella." He conceded, still staring at the little triceratops in his hands, remembering when Ella was that tiny. When she could be held in one hand, much to the distress of her mother and Baby Ella's delight. He gave a tight grin before he spoke again. "She's just so lost right now a-and I don't know how to help her Brown. If Emily was still here, she'd help Ella through this. But I don't know the first thing to tell her." Brown swallowed thickly as his friend continued. "She's starting to morph into a beautiful young lady, but she's not telling me something and it's making it hard for me to help in the little ways that I can." He tore his eyes from the dino and gave Brown a steady gaze. "Did you know she's friends with the Tyler kid?"

Brown shook his head, though he had had his suspicions.

"S-she's" Van sighed, "I just know something is going on Brown." He dropped his gaze back to Topsy. He stood from his chair with a groan. "I've got to go." Van rapped his knuckles on Brown's boots. "Tell me if something happens, if _anything_ happens."

Brown folded his hands behind is head and nodded. "Can do, Pador."

* * *

Ella blinked rapidly as her contacts tired to readjust around her tears. She wasn't sure what hurt more, the ball smacking her in the face or Tess's scorn when the nurse made it clear that she'd have a black eye.

"It's okay Ella! Black eyes are kind of cool looking." Caitlyn offered, squeezing Ella's hand. Ella pressed the little ice pack on her eye, giggling just the slightest around her tears. "If you still had your glasses, it probably wouldn't have hurt as much when Nate hit you in the eye." Caitlyn pointed out gently, Ella sighed not wanting to think about any of the Gray brother's.

"I know." Ella admitted, chewing on her lip.

From outside the wide screen windows, they heard someone clear their throat. Peering around the furniture, they spotted Shane. He gave a slight wave as Caitlyn leaped off the counter.

"Can I talk to Ella?" His voice lacked it's usual confidence. Caitlyn crossed her arms in front of her chest, eyeing exactly how sorry the middle Gray brother really was. Glancing over her shoulder, Ella sent her a tiny nod.

"Well, I guess so. But you better not screw this up." Caitlyn threatened, shaking a tiny fist at him before opening the door and skipping her way to the cafeteria.

"Hey," Shane said offering a bundle of weed flowers. Ella smiled with pleasure, forgetting her ice pack almost immediately and taking them in her hands. Shane flinched, looking away from the purpling skin. "I wanted to give you those. I feel pretty bad for hitting you in the eye with the dodge ball." Shane cracked his knuckles and Ella swatted his hands.

"Cracking your knuckles is bad. Plus, it was Nate, not you." Shane shrugged, but hopped up on the the little table next to Ella.

"I still feel bad."

Ella rubbed her good eye and picked her ice pack back up. "It's not that bad." She offered, chewing the inside of her cheek. Shane ran his hands down the sides of his face, shaking his head quickly.

"Bad enough to call your dad." He muttered, swinging his legs back and forth. Ella let out a hiss as she readjusted her ice pack and Shane's head shot up to look back to her.

"Daddy will understand, accidents happen." But Ella knew better. Accidents happened... to everyone _but _her, Van Pador did his best to guarantee that. Ella could almost hear her father's rumbling voice as he fawned over her, all but taking her away from camp. This was not something she was looking forward too.

"I can't preform now." Ella whimpered, hating that more than the idea of her father coming back to camp. Shane nodded his head somberly.

"I figured Tess wouldn't let you with that shiner."

Ella bristled at his tone. "At least she likes _me_ more then my dad!" Ella snapped, jumping off the counter and leaving the flowers behind. She just wanted camp to be over already.

* * *

Van Pador grumbled softly as he inspected Ella's eye. She stood perfectly still has his large hands gently prodded the bruised skin. She let out a little hiss as he brushed over a popped blood vessel and his eyes softened considerably.

"I'm sorry Princess." He mumbled, wishing that a band-aid could easily patch her up but knowing it wasn't so. Ella squirmed and sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I just want to go home, Daddy." She cried openly for the first time since that stupid ball hit her in the face. Van squeezed her tight, doing the best he could to comfort his baby girl.

"If that's what you want, that's what will happen." He pulled away looking at Ella in her good eye. "But don't you want to preform?"

Ella burst into tears again.

"T-tess wo-won't let me." She cried, shaking in her spot and Van could feel anger simmering in the pit of his stomach. "Please, daddy? I just want to go home."

Van nodded stiffly and told her to pack her bags while everyone was in their classes.

Stepping out of Brown's office, he spotted a flash of spiked hair disappear behind the building. Figuring it was the little brat that pegged his daughter in the face, Van rounded the corner and was surprised to be faced with Brown's eldest nephew.

"I-is Ella alright?" He asked, adjusting the bandanna around his neck. Van crossed his arms and a firm glare set in place.

"Not really, she's upset because she can't preform." Van told the teen honestly. Jason looked down at the ground and rolled his shoulders out of nervous habit.

"Nate didn't mean to hit her, honest." Jason said meeting the rock-star's eyes. "We were messing around and Shane and I knew that Nate can't catch or throw. We didn't know she was around that tree and when it hit her, she just ran off. Shane and I tried to find her, but she was already at the nurse before we could apologize or something."

Van didn't seem any more pleased at Jason's account of the tale, cracking his jaw and flexing his hands.

"And where was Nate?" Van asked the teen, who shrugged before giving his reply.

"I'm not really sure, class or something?"

Van's eyes narrowed as he looked over his shoulder to Ella's cabin and then across the yards.

"Or something." He muttered, setting of for the Pop cabin.

* * *

"I hope you're happy!" Tess wailed at the Gray brothers, as a taller girl wormed her way into Ella's Final Jam costume. "Now that Ella's gone, I'll _have_ to use Peggy." Fury flashed in Caitlyn's eyes, but she kept silent as she adjusted the large tacky earrings that hung just above her shoulders.

Jason held his guitar close to his chest, taking deep breaths from the mixed panic and anxiety that was overwhelming him. A panic attack wouldn't help his brother's preform at all.

Shane kept wiping his hands off on his pants and retying his shoe laces, not quite trusting himself and his rapidly growing body.

And Nate, eleven year old Nate, kept air drumming away. Going over the song over and over again in his mind. Maybe if he played the song perfect this time, Ella's crying face would disappear. Maybe if he played just a little louder, her could cover up the sickening slap of the ball hitting her in the face. He had to make it stop, he had to make it stop.

"Hello? Are you even listening to me?"

The little blonde terror made Nate's skin crawl and he gripped his drumsticks tighter.

Make it stop. He chanted over and over again, jumping when Jason put a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, dude, we're on."

* * *

Winning the Final Jam should have been the happiest moment of his life, Nate knew that. He knew that because of his brother's smiling faces, his parents hugs and congratulations from the other campers. No one else had ever won the jam and been this young.

But guilt ate at him.

Where was Ella? He'd finally worked up the nerve to apologize for the dodge ball incident. Squeezing away from the crowd, he tugged on his uncle's sleeve.

"Uncle Brown, where's Ella?" Nate asked shyly, avoiding the eyes of the parents who smiled down at him. His uncle crouched to his eye level.

"She went home." Brown admitted, placing a hand on his nephew's shoulder. Nate's grip on his drumsticks tightened, he didn't understand, why would she leave? At voicing this, Brown shook his head sadly. "That's just how it is this time. That's just how it is."


	4. Different (2006)

(2006)

"I hate all of this." Shane complained into his company cellphone, talking to the one person he knew would understand. "I want to go back to camp."

"_It'll be okay, Shane. It's not going to be like this forever."_ On her end, Ella continued to paint her toe nails or something normal, Shane imagined. _"One day, they'll let you do your own stuff. That's the way it was for my dad and he was way older than all of you."_ Shane pinched the bridge of his nose and nodded his head, letting out an irritated sigh.

"I know, it doesn't make me feel any better."

"_I didn't know your feelings were so important to_ you." She laughed, and a tiny smile wormed it's way onto his face._ "But, if it makes you feel any better, it doesn't** all** completely suck. That one about the boat thing is pretty good."_ Shane groaned and wiped a hand down his face.

"I hate SOS." Shane rolled his eyes at Ella's laugh.

"_Yeah, you didn't look to enthused to be in that music vid. Bee-tee-dubs, what is up with Jason's hair?"_

Shane groaned again out of irritation.

"Ella come on, use the stupid-ditz act for people at camp but not with me." He heard her own sigh and switched the phone to his other ear.

"_Sorry, it's hard to switch off and on."_

"How are things going anyway? Has Tyler hazed the new girl yet?"

Ella made a sound of indifference. "_Not so much. I think Tess rode her pretty hard after the Jam last year. But she rejected this other new kid. Lola Scott." _

"Is she ever going to stop?"

Ella scoffed. "_Not likely."_

"You know I really mis-" Right at this moment, Jason burst through the door and summoned Shane's presence. Yet another sigh of defeat.

"_You've been summoned by the almighty?"_

"You have no idea, Ella, you have no idea."

"_Um, I'm Tess's lackey. I think I do."_

Shane laughed for the first time in what felt like months. It felt nice to be real with someone.

* * *

On the other end of the phone, Ella's smile faded as she slipped into her new persona. Dumb, easily distracted and looked over was a welcome change of pace. As long as she did what she needed too for rehearsals, Tess would leave her alone and would only bother her to inform her on what was to be worn.

Adjusting her skirt for the millionth time Ella walked back to the Pop cabin from the Dance Studio, only to be stopped by a laugh. Caitlyn's laugh. Ella could recognize the uncontrollable snort from thirty paces. Her lips twitched into a smile but quickly sank back into a frown.

Who was making Caitlyn laugh? It certainly wasn't Tess and Ella knew that Peggy was still in her voice lessons.

Tip-toeing her way over, she peered through the mesh windows of the R&B cabin. There she saw Caitlyn and Lola laughing on what Ella assumed to be Lola's bed. Jealousy made her hands clenched onto the wood frame but sadness made her stay silent. Ella missed making Caitlyn laugh, she missed laughing in general.

But rule number seven stated that you weren't to laugh. Hadn't Tess said that laughing was "unattractive," and asked "have you ever seen your face when you laugh?"

Ella watched the new friendship forming and slumped back to the ground, leaving just as silently as she came. If there was one thing that Ella wouldn't do, it was taking away any joy that Caitlyn had. Not after all they'd been through.

_Maybe it's better this way, _Ella thought to herself as she wandered back to on the the trails. Tucking herself away into her bed sheets until dinner, trying to suppress the empty feeling that gnawed at her. But a sharp rap on the door jerked her back into to reality.

Peeking out from her covers just enough to see through the screen of the door, Ella saw Brown smile sadly over at her bunk. Resisting the urge to groan, she stayed as still as possible.

"Ella, sweet-heart, I can see you breathing." This time she didn't even bother to drown her groan, throwing her cover back and smoothing down her hair.

"Bad day?" Brown asked as he let himself in and sat on her bed. Ella shrugged, batting one of her dangling earrings around with her index finger and looking at the ground.

Brown gave a sigh before standing. "Come on, Pador, off to my office we go." Ella looked at him with startled eyes, and Brown backpedaled his conversation. "Just to talk, Ella, don't worry. It's not anything major."Sighing, Ella followed him to the main building. Taking a seat across from him, she soaked in the air-conditioning and chewed on the inside of her cheek

"I know that things have been less than great at camp for you right now," Brown sighed while running a hand through his hair. "But you know that you can change things, don't you?" Ella's eyes dropped down to her feet and she shook her head.

"It's too late for that Brown, it's way too late." She sighed as Brown rummaged through his drawers. Ella saw a hint of blue hiding behind his back and Brown smiled placing Topsy on his desk.

"It's never too late for anything," Brown said, gently moving the plush towards her shaking hands. "You've just got to want that change bad enough."  
Ella ran a thumb lovingly over the embroidered eyes of her plush. "It's never too late." She mumbled as Brown quietly exited his office, giving her some time alone. "I can still change things." Hadn't her father said something like that the summer before? If she was unhappy then all she had to do was change her situation, right?

_Next year, _Ella vowed, _next year I'll be different._


	5. Need (2007)

(2007)

It was official, Ella Pador was not any different this year then she was from last year. Hiding away in the kitchen she sat on a stool and flicked the TV on and readjusted the rabbit ears until she could get a mostly clear picture.

With a sigh, Ella rested her head on her arms as she watched the grainy TV picture flicker in-and-out of focus.

"_It seems like Connect 3 front man, Shane Gray, has really done it this time..." _The news anchor showed pictures of Shane throwing a water bottle across the stage at a rehearsal. Nate and Jason standing off to the side looking shocked and seemingly embarrassed at their brother's reaction.

Her phone vibrated across the table, so she turned the TV off before answering.

"It's Ella." There was a long pause on the other side of the phone and her brow furrowed in confusion before she checked the number. Sure enough, it wasn't one that was saved in her phone. "Hello? Look if this is a prank call, you should really jus-"

"_It's not a prank!" _The voice hurried out the receiver, sounding more than just a little nervous._ "I wasn't sure how okay you'd be with talking to me."_ The wheels turned in her head as she tried to match the voice with a face, but was drawing a blank.

"I'm sorry, you might have a wrong number or something. Are you sure you're trying to reach me, Ella Pador?"

The voice on the other end let out a tired sigh._ "Yeah it's Jason, Jason Gray." _

Ella froze, not sure how to respond. "O-oh, I see. What's up?"

"_Shane said you were great to talk too, and Ella, I **really** need someone to talk too right now."_

Propping her head up on her elbow, Ella pressed the phone to her ear.

"I guess, yeah, go for it." But she paused, her chest feeling tight as Jason told her about their new life as Connect 3. The flashing lights, the mocking, creatively stifled and frustrated about the turn things were taking.

"_-And then there's this whole Shane thing. I hate this, I-"_ Jason's breathing became labored and Ella heard him do his breathing exercises. _"I know I'm supposed to be his older brother and help, but how can I do that when I have no idea what I'm doing either?"_

Ella twisted a strand of hair around finger and thought of what to say. "I-" She wasn't sure what to say, after all, she didn't have any siblings. But Ella thought of how lonely she felt sometimes when her father didn't understand what she was trying to say. How angry and disappointed she was when something that she'd worked tirelessly for fell flat on the floor.

_Maybe it's those feelings, multiplied by how many siblings you have._ Ella reasoned with herself and picked her words carefully. "I think that you need to talk to Shane. Tell him you're worried about him and how the press is seeing him. Tell him that you hate everything just as much as he does. Say that you're scared because you don't know what to do and you're just as lost as he is. Show him he's not alone."

She heard another sigh from Jason.

"_Thanks Ella, you really do listen."_

Smiling, she just nodded. "Not a problem."

"_And for the record," _Ella sat up a little straighter in her chair. "_I like you more than your dad."_

* * *

"I'm just saying maybe if you weren't so tall, you wouldn't have to stand in the very back." Tess rolled her eyes and flipped her hair over her shoulder as Peggy tried, once again, to garner a little bit more spotlight. Caitlyn huffed irritably, tapping her foot, seeing Lola tap her wrist to signal that it was time for the next group to rehearse. Following Caitlyn's gaze, Tess stiffened. "And what do _you_ want? I don't want to breath in your loser status."

Lola stood motionless for a moment and then exited the auditorium, the door slamming behind her.

"What is your problem?" Caitlyn demanded as she jumped off the stage to go after her friend.

"My problem is that she is distracting you from winning. I need to win." Tess said with another arrogant toss of her hair. Ella squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the impending explosion between the two girls.

"You don't have to treat everyone else like they're gum on your shoe." Caitlyn countered.

"Well, they might as well be." Tess stated, inspecting her nails and waiting for this to blow over like it always did. "After all, she's not as pretty as me or as talented."

"You know what," Caitlyn glared at the blonde "I'm done."

The room became deathly silent. They'd endlessly prepared for the Jam and there was no way that the vocal score would work with just Ella and Peggy on background vocals. Tess needed Caitlyn under her thumb to ensure victory.

"You don't mean that." Tess voice challenged, not expecting Caitlyn to raise her head in defiance.

"Oh, but I do. I'm done being your lacky. Get some real talent and stop crutching on your background singers." Caitlyn replied, crossing her arms. Turning towards Ella, Caitlyn's posture visibly softened. "Ella, I'm sorry. I have to do this. I can't take it anymore."

Ella just squeezed her eyes closed even tighter than before, nodding her head and praying that the pain would go away. She heard Caitlyn sigh and could picture her friend turning to leave the auditorium.

"Don't you know who I am?" Tess screamed after her. "I'm TJ Tyler's daughter! Without me, you're nothing here!"

The footsteps paused, and Ella willed Caitlyn to make it out the door. Because she deserved that, Caitlyn deserved to shine.

"Yeah, you're TJ's daughter. But that's all that you'll ever be."

Ella refused to open her eyes until she heard the door click shut. And when she did blink her eyes open, she sorely wish she hadn't.

"Well, are you next?" Tess yelled, crumpling sheet music in her hand and shaking it violently. "Are you going to follow your little freak friend?"

Ella shook her head no, but she wished she had the courage to nod her head yes.

* * *

Staring at the ceiling was better than seeing Caitlyn's empty bed. Staring at the ceiling meant that Ella could pretend that Caitlyn was coming back, even though she knew better. The bed sank down and Ella looked up to find Peggy sitting on the edge.

"Are you okay?" Peggy asked, and Ella redirected her eyes back to the ceiling with a shrug.

"I think I just lost the only real friend I've ever had." Ella admitted. Peggy shuffled her feet and drummed her fingers on her knees.

"We're friends." Peggy suggested quietly. Propping herself up on her elbows, Ella thought about it for a second and then gave a tiny smile

"Yeah, yeah, I guess we are."

And at that moment, Ella felt just a little bit less lonely than before.


	6. Changes (2008)

(2008)

Shane was back.

Ella's heart soared as she dashed through the crowds of people and bounded up up the steps into the pop cabin. It all felt like everything was going to be set straight. Shane would scare Tess away, Caitlyn would be her friend again, and everything would be okay in the Ella-verse. The world seemed brighter and more alive as she set to work making her bed and dressing her portion of the cabin up.

Ella grabbed her sketch book and headed out towards the lake, waiting for the last bus of campers to arrive. Making a bee line down the trail towards the dock, she stopped and made her way back to the admin building, just so she could see Shane's car pull up. _Maybe Jason will be with him,_ Ella thought with glee. She couldn't keep the goofy smile off her face as beautiful flowing lines found their way on to her paper. She couldn't help it, the prospect of having the friends she grew up with back was just so enticing.

Slowly but surly, the lines turned into outline sketches that would become her babies. But she heard it, the distant hum of a limousine. _He would take a limo to camp._ Ella rolled her eyes with a grin at the thought, but dashed off the steps and towards the moving car. Shane was just stepping out of the car as she threw her arms around him.

"Shane!" She exclaimed, before leaning into the rolled down window. "Jason! How are you?" His grin was just as infectious as her's and Ella's cheeks were starting to hurt a little.

"I'm doing great, I'll be doing better if the jerkstar over there comes back to planet Earth." Jason said, giving his brother a pointed glare. Ella looked over her shoulder to see Shane roll his eyes with a scoff and cross his arms.

"Don't worry, I'll see what I can do." Ella laughed, trying to ignore the blatant staring of one Nate Gray. She could be stubborn when she put her mind to it, and her right eye always had a darker circle under it than her left. Nate cleared his throat as Ella lurched herself out of the window and then poked her bed back in, he opened his mouth "Ella ho-" but she cut him off.

"Well, bye! I'll talk to you later, Jason." Ella said giving a cheery wave to her friend and turned back to Shane. "Now you, sir, we have some catching up to do."

Nate could hear Shane's whine of "Do we have too?" as the window buzzed up. He watched as Ella intertwined her arm with Shane's and chatted animatedly with him. It felt normal to see them together, like no time had passed at all. But she had completely ignored him.

Nate turned as much as the seat-belts would let him and until he could no longer see Ell- Shane, until he could no longer see _Shane._

"What does she mean that she'll talk to you later?" Nate snapped as he jerked back into a sitting position. Jason rolled his shoulders and fiddled with the scarf around his neck.

"Well, Ella and I talk once or twice a week." Jason admitted carefully plucking a loose string from the fabric.

"Once or twice a _week_? That's more than we talk to mom." Nate exclaimed.

"No, that's more than _you_ talk to mom."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Jason rolled his shoulders again and popped his back.

"You just don't call her much."

Nate gave a glare. "Jase, I call mom every chance I have." Jason gave him a sideways glance.

"Yeah, when you're not busy. But you're always busy, Nate." Nate went to argue, but Jason held his hands up in defense. "Just something to think about, bro. Just something to think about."

* * *

"Smile, I know you're happy to see me." Ella teased, bumping her hip against him playfully. To her credit, Shane's lips did twitch upward before warping into a cross frown. Ella's own grin faltered but she remained undaunted. "Well, you almost had it there."

Shane sighed and elbowed her ribs softly. "Sorry Ells, I'm just not exactly thrilled to be here." She frowned and nodded, knowing that she needed to listen instead of waving it off. "I just feel so angry all the time. I can barely remember being truly happy anymore." Shane gave another heavy sigh. "Did you know that the label shot down _another_ one of our songs? That's the seventh one this summer. How many more before they finally let us record one?"

Ella chewed on her bottom lip as she listened to her friend. Were things really that bad? She glanced at his face and saw the dark circles under his eyes and she had her answer. "Maybe it's time to jump ship?" Ella suggested quietly as she saw Tess scowling at another camper. She swallowed thickly and unlinked her arm from Shane's before turning to him quickly. "Just something to think about, see you later! Bye!" Ella took off towards her cabin, leaving her baffled friend behind. "Text me!"

The nervous ache in her stomach and the sweat that gathered on her palms could only mean one thing. Change was coming.

* * *

As it turned out, Change's name was Mitchie. Mitchie Torres with the amazing set of pipes and the confidence of a flea. Mitchie Torres, new friend of Caitlyn and daughter of the cook. Mitchie Torres of the horribly fabricated lie. And Ella's favorite, Mitchie Torres of Shane's current obsession.

"Ella, I need your help." Shane panted as he slowed to a stop near the sand. "It's a girl." Looking up from her sketch book, she gave a cheerful grin. "Well, what's the sitch? I have a H.M.W. in thirty."

"H.M.W?"

"Yeah, Hair, Make-up, Wardrobe. Duh, Shane." As soon as she'd finished her proclamation, Ella wished that she could shove all of her words back into her face.

The facial expression that Shane gave could only described as immense horror and pain.

"D-did you really just say that?" Ella winced but had to nod. "Oh God, that was a special brand of awful. How long have you been doing that?"

Standing up and brushing the dirt off her pants, she sighed. "You probably wouldn't want to know."

"That long, huh?"

Ella shrugged and made a noise of non-commitment. "Anyway, not the point. What's your Mitchie situation?" Shane's eyes became large and slightly panicked.

"Mitchie situation? How did you know it was a Mitchie situation?" His words all rushed together as he started to pace on the beach front. Ella laughed and rested a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Well, you never shut up about her, so it was just a guess." Ella shrugged guiding her friend back to the trails.

"She just so real, ya know? And she gets it! She gets the whole trust thing because of her mom!" Shane talked excitedly and Ella felt her stomach sink. Ella knew that Mitchie Torres was not the daugher of Hot Tunes president Bai Fao. Ella knew that Mitchie had been sneaking out in the morning to go help in the kitchen. A kitchen run by one, Connie Torres. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together.

Ella chewed her lip and debated if she should say anything. Shane was her friend and she felt the need to protect him, but at the same time she knew that Mitchie was just using her lie so that Tess would ease up on her. Ella knew how much that little bit of safety meant. So, she kept her mouth shut and tried to smile.

"Yeah, I bet she does. Hey, I've got to go." Ella paused and fussed with her bangs a little bit. "Shane, I want you to remember this. Everyone has a reason. Just remember that for me?"

Shane gave her a confused look and nodded as he watched her walk off towards her dress rehearsal.

* * *

"-I can't wait to hear what Hot Tunes has to say..." Shane stormed away, Mitchie ran after him, and Tess grinned with smug satisfaction. But she wasn't concerned with them as much as the petite Filipino. Caitlyn saw Ella squeeze her eyes shut and knew exactly what that meant. Because as much as she did not want to come to Mitchie's aid, as much as she wanted to say that she was right, Caitlyn couldn't let another ray of happiness be taken from Ella by Tess. It wasn't fair and it wasn't right, and while it made her a crappy friend by leaving, Caitlyn knew that she had to talk to Mitchie and do something.

As for Ella, she stood there with her eyes closed as she felt people brush past her. The whispers filled her ears and made her stomach lurch and she clenched her fists. This wasn't happening, not again. Her lip trembled and she felt the tears well up behind her eyelids. Because it was actually happening, her friends were leaving her again and she was stuck in a never ending cycle of hate. Angry feet stomped towards her and Ella blinked wearily. It was a furious looking Shane entering her sights.

"Did you know?" Shane accused, Ella could see the faint signs of tear streaks down his cheeks. Ella floundered for words.

"I- I knew she wasn't the daughter of a Hot Tunes CEO." Ella admitted, wiping a hand across her cheek and catching a stray tear.

"And you didn't think to tell me?" Shane seethed, his whole body shaking.

"It wasn't any of my business!" Ella cried in despair.

"You know what? You're no better than _she_ is." He spat, turning around and heading back to his cabin. Ella took a gulp of air as her lips trembled. Her feet headed on a steady rout to the one place she knew she was safe, the one place she could hide. She didn't even flinch as the door slammed on the hinges of the Wardrobe Cabin. Ella just took a crate off the top shelf, took out the familiar dinosaur plush and cried.

* * *

Nate didn't know what made him wander around the campgrounds so late at night, but he certainly couldn't take anymore of Shane's moping. He looked around the sleeping camp and felt strangely detached from everything surrounding him. It was strange that he was back at the place where everything started. It just didn't feel real.

Looking around the grounds he finally saw a light flicker. His brow furrowed as he recognized it a class cabin, but not one that he'd ever been in.

Who was up this late working? What were they working on? Nate wondered. The steps creaked as he made his way to the door. He stared in awe at the blinding swatches of fabric. His questions suddenly changed to "Who could work here?" and as he stepped around mannequins and foreign objects "Who could work like this?"

He was so busy trying to avoid tripping the legs of a stool that he almost tripped over a pair of human legs. And as he followed from ankle to face, Nate was unsurprised at his answer. Still dressed in her silver sequined dress, Ella Pador was curled onto a bean-bag and looking a little worse for her wear. He knew Tess Tyler's rule of glamour just like everyone else at camp, and messy buns and tear stained make-up were shining examples of how to make Tess Tyler angry.

Nate looked again at his once-upon-at-time friend and sighed as he straighten up the cabin a little. Undoubtedly she was upset that Shane was mad at her, but he couldn't see a reason why she would cry over that. While lost in thought, Nate clumsily knocked over a cup full of colored pencils and pens that clattered to the floor causing Ella to lurch out her slumber.

"Wh-who's there?" Ella stuttered as she blindly reached for her glasses and fumbled to put them on. Shielding her eyes from the light, Ella squinted at the hazy figure that slowly became Nate Gray. "Oh, what are you doing here?" Ella tugged the at the hem of her dress as she stood. Nate gulped as he stared at her. Topsy dangling from her left hand, hair mussed, glasses and just slightly flustered; that was he Ella he knew and the one that was standing before him.

"I- I saw the light on. I was wondering who was up." Nate admitted with a shrug. Ella shifted so Topsy was hidden behind her back as she circled the opposite side of the table.

"Well, no you know. Bye." She said as she leaned against the wall.

"What is your problem?" Nate snapped, fed up with the cold shoulder he was receiving.

"It's not like you care."

"You're right? Why would someone care about their friend?" Nate huffed with a roll of his eyes, but he stopped when he saw her body posture stiffened. "What?"

"You called me your friend." Ella responded automatically, wishing she could shove the words back into her mouth. Nate look stunned, almost as if he couldn't believe what she had said and she felt a tiny bubble of resentment rise to surface.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I call you my friend?" Ella huffed and crossed her arms at his question.

"Um, I haven't exactly been friendly to you for the last, um, while." Ella pointed out, tapping her foot and sliding her glasses back up the bridge of her nose.

Again Nate shrugged and just shuffled his feet."You've always been my friend."

Ella looked down at the floor with a simple "Oh." Was she still holding a grudge? She looked up and still felt twinge of anger that came with looking at a Gray. "I don't know if you know, but I'm kind of mad at you." Nate just nodded and continued to stay silent. "Still not one for words, huh?" Nate gave a bashful grin and a dusting of pink shot across his cheeks.

"Guilty."

Her lips involuntarily quirked up and she almost laughed.

"Well, it's late. Thank you for coming out here, but I think we both need to get some sleep." Ella sighed with a glance around the cabin. She cleared her throat as Nate had one foot out the door. "Hey Nate?" He glanced back at her through the mesh. "Thanks for being a friend."

Nate gave a huge smile that warmed Ella's heart. "Not a problem, Sparkles."

That time she did laugh.

* * *

Ella Pador had done it once and for all.

She stood her ground to Tess Tyler.

Okay, so maybe it wasn't as eloquent as she had imagined. But it was true, Tess had officially lost her shine. Lip gloss and all. Her heart fluttered nervously as she adjusted the sparkling pink top. Peggy squeezed her shoulder as she left to get into her own out fit. Everything had fallen into place, Ella thought to herself as she grinned making her way to the wings of the stage and looking for a face in the audience.

In the very back, scrunched into a child's sized chair, her father eagerly watched the other performers. Waving a foam finger and whistling like he was at sporting event after they'd finished their set. Ella laughed quietly as her father almost toppled from the chair as he cheered wildly for the JR rocker's guitar class.

"Hey Ella," Barron put a hand on her shoulder and chuckled as she jumped. "We're on in a bit. Let's go warm up."

* * *

After the Jam was all said and done, and Peggy took home her much deserved prize, Ella leapt into the waiting arms of her father.

"Daddy! You made it!" Ella exclaimed excitedly, barely able to stand still from excitement. Van laughed and hoisted her off her feet and teetering heels for a split second.

"I told you I would! Oh Princess, you were fantastic!" Van radiated pride as he put an arm around her shoulder as other parents talked to their kids. "That was some change that you brought to the stage. What happened?"

Ella looked over her shoulder to where Shane and Mitchie were talking quietly.

"Mitchie happened Daddy, Mitchie happened."

Van didn't ask what she meant by that exactly because sometimes with Ella, less was more. They chatted a little as they went back to her cabin, but she stopped short at the drifting noise of piano.

"Ella?" Van said, as he watched his daughter become entranced by the music. "Do you know who's playing?"

Ella broke out of her trance and glanced back at her father with a grin. "Yeah, I think so. Meet you back at the cabin?" Van barely got a word in edge wise before Ella went loping down the trails towards one of the practice cabins. Van also knew who was playing and it made him wonder if they knew yet.

"Oh Emily, she's growing up so fast." "Oh Emily, she's growing up so fast." Van cast his eyes to the stars and shaking his head in disbelief. "Everything is changing now."

* * *

"Knock, Knock." Nate jolted from the piano bench and tried to steady it at the sound of Ella's voice.

"E-Ella! I didn't expect you to be here, I-I mean I thought you'd be celebrating, actually..." Nate took a breath, cleared his throat, and ran a hand through his hair. "What I meant to say, is that you were great on stage tonight. That being said, what are you doing here?" Ella bit her lip to keep from giggling and went over to the piano.

"I saw the light on, I wanted to know who was out here." Ella teased taking a seat on the bench. "You were lovely, by the way." Ella flushed and corrected herself. "I-I meant that your music was lovely." Nate rocked on his heels and shrugged.

"Thanks, the song comes and goes sometimes." Nate sighed taking a seat next to her.

"Well, you should write it down. Or has Nate Gray lost his muse?" Ella suggested jokingly. Nate gave her a serious look that made her stomach flip.

"I have_ not_ lost my muse. She's just changing right now." Nate stated, pressing a few keys. Ella gulped, not sure where this was going.

"Is that good or bad?" She asked, almost fearing the answer.

"I have no idea, Sparkles." Nate told her honestly. "We'll just have to find out next summer, won't we?"

Ella grinned and nudged his shoulder with her own. "Yeah, I guess we will."


End file.
